India has failed to secure a single spot in the top 200 of the QS Sustainability Rankings 2026, with leading institutions—including the premier Indian Institutes of Technology—losing significant ground in this year’s global assessment.

IIT Delhi, the country’s highest-ranked institution, fell sharply to 205, down from 171 last year. It was followed by IIT Bombay at 236 (slipping one place from 235) and IIT Kharagpur, which dropped dramatically to 236 from 202.

The rankings, released Tuesday, assess around 2,000 universities worldwide on their environmental and social impact, governance practices, and contributions to sustainability-linked research and outcomes.

Seven of India’s top 10 institutions decline

Of the top 10 Indian institutions, seven registered a fall in their positions. The most notable declines include:

·        IIT Madras: down to 305 from 277

·        IIT Kanpur: down to 310 from 245

·        Indian Institute of Science (IISc): steep drop to 462 from 376

QS attributed India’s downward trend largely to the environmental sustainability component—which evaluates alumni impact and institutional commitment to climate change—where global competitors have made stronger strides.

World leaders surge ahead

At the global level, Lund University (Sweden) claimed the top spot, followed by the University of Toronto and UCL. Notably, institutions like the London School of Economics and University of Oxford saw significant upward mobility, underscoring intensifying competition. More than 250 universities debuted in this year’s rankings, adding pressure to the competitive landscape.

India’s mixed performance across lenses

An analysis of India’s performance across different indicators shows a largely uneven trajectory. Under the social impact lens (45% weight), nearly half of Indian institutions saw declines. IIT Delhi led the country in categories such as employability and outcomes but ranked 382 globally in overall social impact.

In the environmental impact lens, which also carries 45% weight, IIT Bombay stood out with a global rank of 100, while IISc led in environmental education and IIT Kharagpur in environmental sustainability.

More Indian universities enter the rankings

Among the 103 Indian universities featured this year:

·        32 improved their rankings

·        15 retained their positions

·        30 declined

QS emphasised that the rankings are comparative and a drop does not necessarily reflect worsening performance—rather, that global peers are improving faster.

Despite the setbacks, experts say the expanding participation of Indian institutions signals heightened engagement with sustainability metrics, but a sharper focus on climate action, research impact, and global collaboration will be critical to climbing the charts in future editions.